Interior pipe cleaner



' May 21, 1940. I

A. HAYNES I N'I'IEIRIQR PIPE CLEANER 2 Sheets-She e'p 1 Filed ha 21,1938 amen K041 A- HAYNES INTERIOR PIPE CLEANER 2 Shaets-She et 2 May 21,1940.-

Filed lay 21, 1938 alum/1424 Y M classd sc b d comprising a a i y ofrotors blades 6 adapted to move in close juxtaposition Patented May 21',1 940 v i I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INTERIOR. PIPE enema AlbertHaynes, Bay City, Texq'assignor of onehalf to J. E. Hasty, Houston, Tex.

Application May .21, 1938, Serial No. 209,218

4 Claims. (01. Ii-104.06)

The invention relates to an interior pipe clean- Fig. 4 is an enlargedsectional view showing er and more particularly to a device which is theconstruction of the articulatingjoints in'the designed, to travelaxially through a string of mandrel of the device shown in Fig. 1. pipeand to operatein, a manner to release. 011-. Fig. 5 is aicross sectiontaken on line 5-5 in 5 strueting material from the inner walls of theFig. 4.

pipe. Fig. 6 shows a modification of the construction In pipelines whichcarry hydrocarbon fluids shown in Fig. 1 as used in removing parafllnfrom point to point and in producing oil wells 'from the walls of tubingstring in oil wells. there is a gradual accumulation of paraffin uponFig, 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 9 the inner walls of theconducting pipe or tubing. 1-1 in Fig. 6. 10

This accumulation is minimized by modern pro- Fig. 8 is a section online 8-8 0! 'Fig. 7. duction and pumping methods, yet there still Asbest seen in Fig. 1' the device of the invenremain difliculties whicharise from the accumution is a composite construction designed to passration of parafiin. through a pipe I. having material, such as paraft Itis therefore a primary object of the invenfin, adhering to. the innerwalls and which is to 7 tion to provide a device which is both simpleand he removed from the walls so that fluid passing eillcient intheremoval of parafiin from the walls through the pipe may carry'suchmaterial from of pipeline or tubing. While' the disclosure of the withinthe pipe: The device comprises essendevice of the invention refersspecifically to mechtially an articulated mandrel generally designated manlsm for the removal of paraiifin, it is to be unas 2 having upon itsforward end a pilot 3. .0

' derstood that the invention is of utility in any Mounted upon rotorsupportsections 4 of .the

case where it is desired to remove material from ma drel 2 rearwardly ofthe pilot 3 are a plue inner Walls Of P p t rality of rotors 5, hereshown as three in num- It is'also an object to provide a device of the hr, each f which is provided-with peripheral having cutter blades thereonto remove the mat th i ner walls, of the pipe I and hence to reterial fo the P p Wallsmove accumulated material from these walls.

Another object is to provide a device in which In rder to more clearlyillustrate both the rotors a yi g tt blades rotate in di nt constructionand the operation of the device, atm directions in order to avoid thecondition where t t o i dir ted to the fact that the liquid in o thecutter blades of one rotorfollow the path of th i I 1 moving inthedirection indicated the blades of a Preceding by the arrows l0 andthat the respective rotatable An ther Obj is to P ov de a device havingelements of the device normally rotate in the dia pilot at its forwardend to guide the device rection i te by the arrows ll. along a pipelinewhich is being cleaned thereby. d l 2 comprises the f rw rd pilot 5Still another object is to provide a device which shaft, 5 and t rotorsupport ti attached s p pe by fl d moving through the p to thereto bymeans of the articulating connectors be clea ed- IS. The rotor supportsections 4 and the pilot It is also an object to provide a device whichshaft 5 each i d l v r d d by y be lowered into 011% tubing Stringspaced collars 2| secured thereto by pins 22. In wire line or which maybe allowed to move under t manner there 1 provided a, journal for a hgravity n l retrieved as by a sparof the rotating elements of thedevice.

still another object is to dence 0f 'In order to interconnect successivesections of 5mm that W m Pipe the device stub shafts extend into each oru be cleaned thereby may be readily negotiated. the Sleeves 20 5nd haveopenings 25 through Other objects, together with the foregoing will h beapparent from the following description 'con-' 22 g; 2 21 g gr: g fifigg g g sidered in connection with the drawings in which: into th Fig. 1is a side elevation of a; device embodying preferably f g g sfi fi inthe invention, the device being shown within' a connector 6 Pro mgrooves 29 to receive snap rmgs II which serve '0 t in arts thereof beinpipe to be cleaned and a g to fix. an annular block ll within the collarand shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 hen e o h l the adjac ns ction of the manin Fig. 1. r Y drel in assembled relation.* Thisconstruction is Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 vsimple and provides the desired flexibility in the of Fig. 1. device sothat efficient operation accrues. II

The pilot 3 mounted upon the pilot shaft l5 has a minimum diameter whichis slightly less than the inside diameter of the surrounding pipe l. Theforward end of the pilot comprises a collar 40 rotatably surrounding thepilot shaft l5 and having attached thereto a plurality of curved blades4! which flare outwardly from the collar and have their rear endsattached to a rim 42 of the base member 43 of the pilot. The rim 42 isin turn secured to the outer ends of the webbed blades 44 attached tothe hub 5 rotatablymounted upon the mandrel 2 in the manner alreadydescribed.

Each of the rotors 5 is mounted upon the mandrel as above described andcomprises a hub portion from which web blades 5i extend outwardly forattachment to the rim 52. The blades 6 are spaced about the rim 52 andare attached thereto in any' suitable manner as by rivets 53. Theseblades extend rearwardly from the rim 52 at it and are curved to providea rigid construction and also to provide a blade having efficientcutting action. The peripheral edges of the blades have substantiallystraight portions 55 so that all portions of this edge will be in closecutting relation with the inner walls of the pipe. .1

As already indicated the respective rotatable elements rotate in thedirections indicated by the arrows ii. It is to be noted that successiveelements rotate in opposite directions-as such mode of operation avoidsthe tendency of any series of cutter blades to follow the path cleanedby a preceding series. This mode of operation is brought about byproviding the web blades Ell with such a direction of pitch that thedesired direction of rotation is efiected.

It should be noted that the web blades serve the function of providing asurface having a component which is transverse to the pipe i so thatmovement of fluid under pressure longitudinally of the pipe will propelthe device along the pipe. At the same time these blades provide thedesired turning eifort by the movement or slip of the pressure fluidpas't'the device.

The modification shown in Fig. 6 is designed for use in removingparaffin from tubing within a well bore, particularly where the fluid ishowing from the well under gas pressure. This form of the device isidentical to that shown in Fig. 1 except that a stub shaft extendsrearwardly from the last rotor support section of the mandrel and issecured into a threaded plug ti in the same manner that connection ismade in each of the connectors. TI'heplug 6| is threadably connected toa sectionof tubing 82. This tubing section may be the lower section of astring of tubing which isused for lowering the device within the pipe I.On the other hand,

the tubing 62 may be only of such length as to provide sufficient weightto move the device downwardly within the "pipe I at a suillcient speedas compared with the flow of liquid that efficient cutting action willtake place.

With the mode of operation just described the device may be'allowed tofall under gravity or its descent may be controlled by the use of a wireline for lowering the device. In either event the material released bythe cutter blades will be carried upwardly by the flow of liquid asindicated by the arrows Hi. It is believed apparent that the device maybe thus lowered upon the tubing string, it may be allowed to movedownwardly under gravity and to be thereafter retrieved as by means of aspear, or it may be lowered by means of awire line.

What is claimed is:

1. An interior pipe cleaner assembly including a mandrel comprising aplurality of articulated sections, a conical pilot on one end sectionthereof, said pilot being adapted to guide the assembly through the pipeto be cleaned thereby, spaced rotorson other sections of the mandrel,cutter blades on said rotors positioned closely adjacent the inner wallof the pipe to be cleaned, and means on said pilot and each of saidrotors for rotating each of said elements as the assembly is movedlongitudinally within a pipe.

2. An interior pipe cleaning assembly including a mandrel comprising aplurality of articulated sections, a conical pilot on one end sectionthereof, rotors on other sections of the mandrel, cutter blades on saidrotors for movement in close relation with the walls of the pipe to becleaned, and driving blades on each of said pilot and rotors, saiddriving blades being so constructed and arranged that fluid passingthrough the pipe will advance the assembly through the pipe and rotatethe pilot and rotors upon the mandrel.

3. In an interior pipe cleaner, a mandrel, a pilot on one end thereof, aplurality of rotors mounted on the mandrel rearwardly of the pilot, eachof said rotors comprising a hub, an annular rimand interposed vane meansinclined from a'transverse plane, having a rim secured thereto, andcutter blades mounted on the rim and adapted to move closely adjacentthe inner wall of pipe to be cleaned.

4. In an interior pipe cleaner, an articulated mandrel, a rotor mountedupon each section thereof, each of said rotors comprising -a hubrotatably mounted upon the section, an annular rim and interposed vanemeans inclined from a transverse plane, and cutter blades secured tosaid rim and extending axially thereof for movement in close proximityto the walls 01' the pipe to be cleaned.

ALBERT HAYNES.

